Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Position Status: Short Term, 6 months
**Salary Level:**5
About Mercy Corps
Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse, and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long term impact.
The Program & Department
Mercy Corps’ Sudan crisis response seeks to meet the humanitarian needs of vulnerable Sudanese and other conflict-affected people across the country. Mercy Corps Sudan is recognized as a leader in market systems, agricultural, and food security and building on this experience, the MC Sudan humanitarian program will layer in resilience and other program activities where appropriate and feasible to do so. Assistance is delivered with a focus on needs, in partnership with local actors and civil society.
The Cash Consortium of Sudan (CCS) is a collaborative platform to advance a progressive vision of the potential of cash assistance to transform humanitarian response and recovery in partnership with vulnerable conflict-affected populations. CCS is led by Mercy Corps, building on its global experience and learning on leading cash consortia in multiple country contexts, as well as general expertise in cash coordination and breadth of technical resources. International partners include Acted, CARE, Concern, CORE, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), GOAL, and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), each of which bring strong cash and complementary technical competencies, as well as expansive operational coverage in Sudan. The CCS also includes nine Sudanese NGOs as partners in alignment with global aid sector commitments to enhance the prominence of local actors in driving humanitarian response and recovery. National partners include National partners include Al Manar Voluntary Organisation (AMVO), AORD, ASSIST, CAFA Development Organization (CAFA), NIDAA, NRDO, Peace Development Lovers Organisation (PDLO), Peace Organisation for Relief and Development (PORD), Sudanese Organization for Relief and Recovery (SORR), Hope and Friendship for Development Organization (HOPE), United Peace Organisation (UPO) and Sudan Social Development Organisation (SUDO). IMPACT is also engaged as a Third Party Monitor. The CCS will work closely with the Cash Working Group (CWG), UN agencies, other consortia and actors in Sudan to deliver an effective CVA response for communities affected by the crisis.
The core pillars of the CCS response include: 1) basic needs through cash assistance both at the community level through Group Cash Transfers (GCTs) delivered to Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), as well as at the household-level through Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA); 2) strengthening market systems to ensure resilience of key market actors and supply chains as well as strengthening the availability and affordability of key commodities; 3) strengthening capacity of local partner organizations with an emphasis on accompaniment and mentorship; and 4) generation of learning and evidence to inform broader response efforts.
As lead for the CCS overall, the Mercy Corps Operations Department provides key support to the CCS Secretariat in procurement, asset management, and facilities & office management for successful program implementation.
The Position
The CCS Procurement Manager is responsible for overseeing the procurement aspects of the Cash Consortium of Sudan (CCS), with a particular focus on Financial Service Providers (FSPs). CCS partners collectively work with over 30 FSPs, many of whom are recovering themselves from impacts of the crisis. The consortium is now working to support aggregate payment architecture that would strengthen FSPs’ abilities to serve CCS communities and objectives through improved cost-efficiency, performance, and liquidity management. In developing deeper partnership models with FSPs, the CCS Procurement Manager will work closely with technical leads and operations teams for each CCS partner organization, and external advisors from CashCap and CGAP. The CCS Procurement Manager reports to the Deputy Chief of Party.
Essential Responsibilities
- Coordinate CCS procurement activities according to the Field Procurement Policies and Procedures, SOPs and donor rules & regulations.
- Act as Head of Procurement for the CCS Secretariat, with primary focus on FSP contracting
- Support the set-up of a common payment system for cash programming, supporting development of guiding rules and governance structures.
- Identify CCS partner procurement and compliance requirements for participation in aggregate payment architecture, developing solutions that serve the widest diversity of members’ institutional procurement processes and norms.
- Lead the negotiations, contracting, and management of financial service providers, proactively identifying opportunities to strengthen and expand FSP capacity and performance.
- Lead procurement of technology vendors and platform operators that will support implementation of aggregate payment architecture.
- Ensure that the procurement department supports the program efficiently and compliantly.
- Interact with contractors, in coordination with the CCS Program & Operation teams.
- Ensure that the required documentation of supplies and transactions are completed to standards.
- Prepare status reports on deliveries for P&L and office Management and recipient of supplies.
- Maintain thorough procurement files as outlined in the MC procurement policy.
- Coordinate with the Warehouse on delivery of items including completion of Goods Received Notes, storage of items and transfer of items to field sites, as needed.
- Ensure that Mercy Corps’ procurement activities are legal and moral.
- Enforce proper use of procurement ceilings and approval procedures.
- The Procurement Manager will conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission.
TEAM MANAGEMENT
- Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
- Promote accountability, communicate expectations, and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews.
- Supervise, hire, and orient new team members as necessary.
- Provide team members with information, tools and other resources to improve performance and reach objectives.
- Contribute to country team-building efforts, help team members identify problem-solving options and ensure the integration of all team members into relevant decision-making processes.
Supervisory Responsibility
N/A.
Accountability
Reports Directly To: CCS Deputy Chief of Party
Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of our field projects.
Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills
- Degree in a relevant business field or professional procurement qualification is desired.
- Minimum 5 years of experience in procurement management at a large scale.
- Experience with procurement for cash and voucher programming required, preference for experience with digital payments and/or financial service providers.
- Extensive work experience in procurement management, preferably in the humanitarian or development sector.
- In-depth knowledge of procurement principles, regulations, and best practices.
- Strong expertise in establishing and managing MPA/MSA contracts across multiple categories.
- Proven ability to lead and coordinate procurement activities in a fast-paced and demanding environment.
- Experience and/or interest in developing governance systems to guide common solutions and services for shared humanitarian challenges.
- Experience and/or interest in applying market systems development principles to procurement.
- Excellent negotiation, communication, and interpersonal skills.
- Familiarity with the PROSOURCE procurement system is highly desirable.
- Strong organizational skills; ability to interact effectively with international and national personnel.
- Excellent oral and written English skills.
- High level of computer skills on MS Office programs.
- A demonstrated ability to multi-task and process information into action as to not delay program activities.
- A clear understanding of procurement ethics and donor compliance is essential
- Experience in the development of shared or interoperable payment schemes desirable but not required.
Success Factors
The successful Procurement Manager will be good at problem-solving and work out methods to deliver successful programs while demonstrating excellent stewardship of donor funds and compliance with Mercy Corps and donor regulations. They will maintain strong cooperative relationships with other departments and interact effectively with international and national personnel both in a managerial and training capacity while demonstrating the ability to multi-task, meet deadlines and process information in support of changing program activities. The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a solid commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations.
Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
The position is based in Nairobi, Kenya, and it requires up to 30% travel to support country programs, which may include travel to insecure locations where freedom of movement is limited and areas where amenities are limited.
Ongoing Learning
In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient, and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.
We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening, and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.
We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.
Safeguarding & Ethics
Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct eLearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.